And the way they chose to open up about their sexual orientation came in a variety of ways, from Jodie Foster'sGolden Globes speech in January to Robin Roberts'late-December Facebook post to Maria Bello'sNew York Times essay.

Below, 11 stars who came out this year -- and how they chose to do it.

1. Robin Roberts

The Good Morning America anchor publicly disclosed her sexual orientation in an end-of-the-year note addressing her health and reflecting on her recovery from a bone marrow transplant. "I am grateful for my entire family, my longtime girlfriend, Amber, and friends, as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together," she wrote on Facebook. "I am grateful for the many prayers and well wishes for my recovery. I return every one of them to you 100 fold. On this last Sunday of 2013, I encourage you to reflect on what you are grateful for too."

2. Maria Bello

The Prisoners actress came out in November in an essay she wrote for The New York Times,revealing she's in a relationship with her best friend, a new media executive named Clare Munn. Bello explained her decision to come out had a lot to do with her 12-year-old son, Jackson, whose father is producer DanMcDermott. The decision was prompted by her son's query over whether there was "something I wasn't telling him." She wrote, "I was with someone romantically, and I hadn't told him. … I had become involved with a woman who was my best friend, and, as it happens, a person who is like a godmother to my son."

3. Wentworth Miller

The PrisonBreak star came out by penning a letter to St. Petersburg International Film Festival director Maria Averbakh,declining an invitation to attend the festival because of Russia's strict anti-gay laws. "As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes. However, as a gay man, I must decline," Miller wrote in the letter. "I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government. The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly."

4. Charice

Charice, the music sensation from the Philippines best known in the U.S for her role as foreign exchange student Sunshine Corazon on Fox's Glee, came out in June in a tearful interview on the Filipino talk show The Buzz. "Yes, I am a lesbian," she confirmed in her native language, Tagalog. "I don't know what the problem is, because for me, there is no problem with that. So now I ask for forgiveness from those who don't understand. And those who cannot accept, I apologize: I understand you."

In April, the NBA star became the first active male pro athlete to come out as a gay man. "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay," Collins wrote in a cover story for Sports Illustrated in which he traced his struggle with his sexual identity from his youth through college and his early years in the NBA. "I'm glad I can stop hiding and refocus on my 13th NBA season," he wrote. "I've been running through the Santa Monica Mountains in a 30-pound vest with Shadow, the German shepherd I got from MikeMiller. In the pros, the older you get, the better shape you must be in. Next season a few more eyeballs are likely to be on me. That only motivates me to work harder."

6. Clive Davis

The music mogul came out in his autobiography The Soundtrack of My Life as bisexual and also addressed his sexual orientation on Katie Couric's talk show in February. Speaking of his "failed marriage," which came apart in the mid-'80s, Davis said: "I opened myself up to the possibility that I could have a relationship with a man as well as the two that I had with a woman." He added: "I'm still attracted to women. … You don't have to be only one thing or another. For me, it's the person."

7. Jodie Foster

Accepting her Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in January, the actress and director spoke out about her sexuality after years of rumors that she is gay. While avoiding actually saying the words "I'm gay," Foster said: "I already did my coming out a thousand years ago, in the Stone Age. Those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to friends and family and co-workers then gradually to everyone that knew her, everyone she actually met. But now apparently I'm told that every celebrity is to honor the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance and a primetime reality show." She also thanked Cydney Bernard, her former longtime partner, with whom she raises sons Charles and Christopher Foster. "There's no way I could ever stand here without acknowledging one of the deepest loves of my life: my heroic co-parent, my ex-partner in love but righteous soul sister in life, my confessor, ski buddy, consigliere, most beloved BFF of 20 years, Cydney Bernard," Foster said.

8. Matt Dallas

In January, the Kyle XY star came out by announcing his engagement to a man. "Starting off the year with a new fiance, Blue Hamilton. A great way to kick off 2013!" the 30-year-old actor wrote on his Twitter account. The announcement was accompanied by a photo of the actor lounging on a couch with a dog.

9. Raven-Symone

The That's So Raven star in August appeared to confirm rumors of her sexuality when she tweeted: "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you." The tweet was posted more than a month after the Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

10. Michelle Rodriguez

The Fast & Furious and Avatar actress came out as bisexual in October during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I play a butchy girl all the time, so they assume I'm a lesbo," she said, adding: "Eh, they're not too far off. I've gone both ways. I do as I please. I am too f--king curious to sit here and not try when I can. Men are intriguing. So are chicks." Asked why she decided to come out now, after years of speculation, she told Latina magazine: "I'm getting older. Eventually it's going to wrinkle up and I'm not going to be able to use it. I wanted to be honest about who I am and see what happens."

11. Lucas Cruikshank

The Nickelodeon star, known for playing the titular character on the network's Fred, in August came out in a video posted to YouTube. Answering a series of questions alongside actress pal Jennifer Veal, Cruikshank told fans, "I'm gay." Giggling, he added, "It feels so weird saying it on camera." Cruikshank said that his friends and family have known about his sexual orientation for three years, but "I just haven't felt the need to announce it on the Internet."